Hollywood producers have signaled a potential blackballing of actress Penelope Cruz and her husband, actor Javier Bardem, after the Spanish couple criticized Israel for its offensive on Gaza.

In July, Bardem and Cruz signed an
open letter decrying the "the genocide perpetrated by the
Israeli occupation army.”

The letter blames the latest bloodshed on the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian territories.

"Gaza is living through horror…while the international
community does nothing,” said the Spanish letter, signed by
100 top figures in the film industry.

One “top producer” who has worked with Cruz anonymously
told
The Hollywood Reporter that he would never hire her again.

Another top executive said he is "furious at Javier and
Penelope" and could not say whether he would ever work with
the Oscar winners in the future.

Only one studio leader was willing to publicly state his views.

"As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, I know that anyone
calling what's going on in Israel 'genocide' vs. self-defense is
either ignorant and shouldn't be commenting or is truly
anti-Semitic." said Relativity Media chief executive Ryan
Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh had previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the
letter "makes my blood boil." He now says that he
received more than 500 calls, emails, and texts in approval of
his comments in the 24 hours after his comments were published.
He said that support included top Hollywood executives.

But, ultimately, he said he does not believe the actors’ careers
will be affected by their statements as long as their films are
successful.

Another film producer said, "I think the thing any executive
or producer will try to calculate before working with Penelope
Cruz or Javier Bardem in the near future is what their value is
in the all-important international marketplace. And what
territories they might have alienated people in by what they
said. It might not be that many. But it's really all about
business."

Virulent pro-Israel celebrities have also criticized those who
signed the letter. Actor Jon Voight, a frequent supporter of
right-wing causes, wrote his own
letter calling on Cruz and Bardem to "hang your heads in
shame."

"I am asking all my peers who signed that poison letter
against Israel to examine their motives. Can you take back the
fire of anti-Semitism that is raging all over the world
now?"